Space News and Updates for Amateur Astronomers And Stargazers

Two Asteroids Passed Close to Earth Wednesday

These are not the two asteroids that passed by Earth on Wednesday — but is an illustration of a binary asteroid. (Credit: ESO/L. Calcada)

Earth got a double dose of close asteroid flybys on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Two newly discovered small asteroids both passed within the distance of the Moon. 2011 GW9 (10 meters wide) came within half the distance to the Moon, about 192,000 km 12:53 a.m. EDT and 2011 GP28 (6 meters wide) came within 77,000 km (.2 LD) at 3:36 p.m. EDT. Spaceweather.com said the size of these asteroids are two to three times smaller than the Tunguska impactor of 1908, and assured there was no danger of a collision with Earth.